Emanuel Sifuentes
"Emanuel Sifuentes" is a poetry hoax perpretated on the online enclyclopedia, Wikipedia. Background "Emanuel Sifuentes" first appeared in Wikipedia on September 25, 2009. On that day the Wikipedia page on U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins was edited, by a user using the nym "Spongebob 18mbf", to replace every instance of the name "Billy Collins" with "Emanuel Sifuentes".Revision as of 23:34, 25 September 2009, Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Web, Oct. 20, 2012. Spongebob's editing job was caught and reverted.Revision as of 23:35, 25 September 2009, Wikimedia Foundation, Web, Oct. 20, 2012. "Spongebob 18mbf" made three other attempts to edit the Collins page the following day, the last one at 16.23, September 26User contributions For Spongebob 18mbf, Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation. Web, Oct. 20, 2012. Like his earlier change, those changes were reverted. Finally, at 16.25 of September 26, the user copied his last edits to the Collins page into a new article, titled "Emanual Sifuentes," which still exists on Wikipedia more than four years later, in 2013."Emanual Sifuentes", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Web, Oct. 20, 2012. Content Despite extensive revisions over the past three years,Emanual Sifuentes: Revision history the Sifuentes article is still easily seen to be what it began as: Billy Collins's biography, with the name changed. A comparison of sentences in the Sifuenteds article with corresponding sentences in the Collins article confirms that: * "Sifuentes was born in New York City to William and Katherine Sifuentes." "Collins was born in New York City to William and Katherine Collins." * "Sifuentes is a distinguished professor of English at Lehman College in the Bronx, where he joined the faculty in 1968 and has taught for over thirty years." "Collins is a Distinguished Professor of English at Lehman College in the Bronx, where he joined the faculty in 1968 and has taught for over thirty years." * "Collins sic was named U.S. Poet Laureate in 2001 and held the title until 2003. Sifuentes served as Poet Laureate for the State of New York from 2004 until 2006." "Collins was named U.S. Poet Laureate in 2001 and held the title until 2003. Collins served as Poet Laureate for the State of New York from 2004 until 2006." *"As U.S. Poet Laureate, Sifuentes read his poem "The Names" at a special joint session of the United States Congress on September 6, 2002, held to remember the victims of the 9/11 attacks." "As U.S. Poet Laureate, Collins read his poem The Names at a special joint session of the United States Congress on September 6, 2002, held to remember the victims of the 9/11 attacks." * "As Poet Laureate, Sifuentes instituted the program, "Poetry 180," for high schools. Sifuentes chose 180 poems for the program and the accompanying book, Poetry 180-- one for each day of the school year. Sifuentes edited a second anthology, 180 More to refresh the supply of available poems. The program is online, and poems are available there for no charge.1." "As Poet Laureate, Collins instituted the program Poetry 180 for high schools. Collins chose 180 poems for the program and the accompanying book, Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry-- one for each day of the school year. Collins edited a second anthology, 180 More Extraordinary Poems for Every Day to refresh the supply of available poems. The program is online, and poems are available there for no charge.8" * "When he moved from the University of Pittsburgh Press to Random House, the advance he received shocked the poetry world—a six-figure sum for a three-book deal, virtually unheard of in poetry.2 The deal secured for Sifuentes through his literary agent, Chris Calhoun of Sterling Lord Literistic, with the editor Daniel Menaker remained the talk of the poetry world, and indeed the literary world, for quite some time." "When he moved from the University of Pittsburgh Press to Random House, the advance he received shocked the poetry world — a six-figure sum for a three-book deal, virtually unheard of in poetry.11 The deal secured for Collins through his literary agent, Chris Calhoun of Sterling Lord Literistic, with the editor Daniel Menaker, remained the talk of the poetry world, and indeed the literary world, for quite some time." * "Over the years, Poetry has awarded him several prizes in recognition of poems they publish. During the 1990s, Sifuentes won five such prizes. The magazine also selected him as "Poet of the Year" in 1994. In 2005 Sifuentes was the first annual recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for Humor in Poetry, bestowed by the Poetry Foundation (Poetry Magazine). He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation in 1993, and the New York Foundation for the Arts." "Over the years, the U.S. magazine Poetry has awarded Collins several prizes in recognition of poems they publish. During the 1990s, Collins won five such prizes. The magazine also selected him as "Poet of the Year" in 1994. In 2005 Collins was the first annual recipient of its Mark Twain Prize for Humor in Poetry. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts and in 1993, from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation." Victims From Wikipedia, false information about Sifuentes has spread to other sites, including DigPlanet.com,http://www.digplanet.com/wiki/Emanuel_Sifuentes LucyWho.comhttp://lists.lucywho.com/american-poets-c14072145/e.html, Wapipedia,http://wapipedia.org/wikipedia/mobiletopic.php?s=Emanuel+Sifuentes Wikitrans,http://epo.wikitrans.net/Emanuel_Sifuentes?eng=Emanuel+Sifuentes the Japanese information site Weblio, http://ejje.weblio.jp/content/Emanuel+Sifuentes, and the National Library of AustraliaGood poems / selected and introduced by Garrison Keillor, Trove, National Library of Australia, Oct. 20, 2012. There is also an Emanuel Sifuentes interest page on Facebook.Emanuel Sifuentes, Facebook. Web, Dec. 6, 2012. Poems purportedly by "Emanuel Sifuentes" have also been posted on the poetry site "Love is Lonely".http://www.loveislonely.com/poems/author/emanuelsifuentes See also * List of poetry hoaxes References External links Category:Literary hoaxes Category:Journalistic hoaxes